SOPHOCLES'S ANTIGONE: A FEMINIST REPRESENTATION

Feminism and women’s equality is seen in the Ancient Greek play, Antigone. Antigone by Sophocles, examines women’s rights and equality based on cultural and personal values of Greek culture. This play distinguishes the role of women in society and their behaviors in Greek culture. The ancient Greek culture was very strict on what women could do and the way they are valued. Because Antigone identifies issues of women’s rights and equality, it is now an inspiration to many in todays day and age.

Gender and its roles are exposed in the story of Antigone as the central themes. Roles and rules are set and followed by several people in this era, this is appreciated in this text. Ideas of contradiction to these rules were not explored. In Greek mythology, several women held positions of power, but none of these women were human, making the idea of a powerful woman godlike and unattainable, as if to keep woman in their place, which of course, was always under the rule of the superior gender, the male. To challenge a patriarchy with feminism was dangerous, for both sexes were equally protective of it, leaving the challenger desolate in the battle against it. To rely on women to help other women rebel against this social norm was not probable, in the contrary, women held each other accountable for complying to these rules and punished those who didn’t. Women were their gender’s prevalent critics and suppressors, not only because they feared the repercussions, but since they didn’t have the means to rebel against it.

In Sophocles’ Antigone, gender roles are a major conflicting theme throughout the entire play. The setting of the play was written during the Greek mythological days, around 442 B.C. During these days, men were dominant and held all of the power, so women were automatically treated as less. Antigone and Creon portray the conflicting sides between male and female, and Ismene and Haemon portray opposing sides to Antigone and Creon’s actions. Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon each show differences in behavior due to their sex versus the actions each character chooses to take. Antigone tells Ismene about her plans to bury their brother, Polynices, which is going against Creon’s orders. Antigone and Ismene, have contrasting perspectives on

Women of Sophocles era in ancient Greek history had very few rights. Their main purpose in life was to marry and produce sons. They were merely extensions of the men they married since women were never considered citizens of a city. A woman who was not married and not a virgin could be bought and sold as a slave. Despite the evident lack of respect for women in their society, however, ancient Greek artists still made use of women as the main characters in their works. In her essay, “From Tragedy to Hierarchy and Back Again: Women in Greek Political Thought,” Arlene W. Saxonhouse states that women in Greek tragedy are meant to help question the norms of the patriarchal society because Greek men, confronted with a women hero, are forced to see that they in fact need women to exist, annulling their right to complete dominance over society (404). Antigone is no exception to this statement. In her fight to rescue her brother from a restless soul, Antigone also helps bring out the issues of male chauvinism and sexism in

Despite being written in a period of time in which women were considered “Third class” citizens, and being considered expendable, the portrayal of women in ancient Greek literature is consistently rebutting societal norms through the roles of intelligent mortal women such Penelope from the Odyssey, or Antigone from the aptly named “Antigone”. These women, whose intelligence and blatant bull-headed stubbornness is displayed rather early in these stories, both rebuke the societal norms explained by the stories, and consistently proves that women are not just ancillary characters literature, and are capable of besting their male cohorts in challenges of wit and loyalty.

In the story of Antigone, originally written by Sophocles, explains the story, of a woman who stands up for her own beliefs against the king. At the time of Sophocles, women had little power and authority. They were expected to listen to their husband, king, or any man that speaks to or asks a woman of something. The story starts up where the story of Oedipus ends, in his death. Trouble and war are about to begin in Thebes, so Antigone travels there to try and stop what may become of her family and country. From my observations, this story can be analyzed in multiple ways, whether it is about the struggles of women, defying the higher power, or responding to the will of the gods. It is said

Both Wilde and Sophocles share similar connections within their plays where the female characters take control away from the men. For example, in both Greek times and the Victorian Era, men are the ones with all the power whereas the women have no freedom at all. In Antigone’s case, she and Ismene have only little freedom due to their royalty but Antigone shows more bravery as she defies Creon’s laws and buries Polyneices. Although her loyalty to her brother causes her own demise, her actions were approved by the people and the gods. The Women in Wilde’s play have similar perspectives of feminism where the women feel in control based on their class and high society.

Antigone as a Greek Feminist The strong female protagonist in the play Antigone, is Antigone herself, who is portrayed as a powerful woman, making the play have feminist critique to it. There is no direct point in the drama that Sophocles makes it clear that Antigone is not being treated with the respect that she deserves based on the situation that is happening to her. There is sexism and misogyny as Creon gives Antigone a harsh and unfair sentence due to the “crime” she has committed.

Living in ancient patriarchal Greek society, women were held to strict values and were always subordinate to men. Sophoclean tragedy provides a window into this society, and reflects on the topic of gender inequality; however, the works show a disconnect of relativity between different points of view. While male characters in both Oedipus the King and Antigone presume that their female counterparts are held equally to them, the female characters are much more aware of societal differences that justify their inferiority.

The different portrayals of female characters Antigone and Lysistrata illustrate the fundamental nature of the proper Athenian woman. Sophocles' Antigone allows the reader to see that outrage over social injustices does not give women the excuse to rebel against authority, while Aristophanes' Lysistrata reveals that challenging authority in the polis becomes acceptable only when it's faced with destruction through war. Sophocles and Aristophanes use different means to illustrate the same idea; the ideal Athenian woman's ultimate loyalty lies with her polis. This Greek concept of the proper woman seems so vital when considering Athenian society because both a tragedy and comedy revolve around this concept. The differing roles accorded to

Although ancient Greece was a male-dominant society, Sophocles’ Antigone portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. Antigone, the tragic heroine, rejects the traditional role of women. As such, Sophocles punishes Ismene for embodying traditional attitude. Moreover, Creon is punished for misogyny. Sophocles, accordingly, uses characterization to promote feminist ideas.

Antigone has been used as a symbol and idol of the feminist movement, and for good reason: both the play and the character Antigone showcase strong feminist themes and characteristics, despite being created more than two thousand years before feminism became mainstream. The play /Antigone/ by Sophocles serves as a commentary on female power and how men see that power as a threat to their own. The character Antigone displays many feminist characteristics, such as inner strength and self confidence. These concepts and themes (-- removed HTML --)

Sophocles displays the understood role of women in Ancient Greek Society by one of his female characters, Ismene. Ismene represents what women understand their role to be in the city Thebes. As soon as she realizes what her sister, Antigone, plans to do, she reminds Antigone what is expected of women by saying,

In “Antigone” by Sophocles, a famous ancient Greek tragedian, the main character, Antigone, demonstrates a prohibited action in a strict, male-dominated society. Greek civilization upheld strong values and rules that were designed to enforce orderly behavior among its people. There were state laws created by the King, Creon, and divine laws created by the Gods. Divine law was superior to the king laws, and if that rule was disrupted, eternal consequences could ruin an individual. In this society, men were mighty, powerful, and in control of the kingdom. Women were traditionally treated as an underclass with no voice or power. Women were restricted from performing any masculine jobs, holding high civilization positions, and disobeying men. Although Greek civilization had strict standards for women, Antigone challenges the law through her actions in order to satisfy the Gods because it is what she thought was the right decision.

The works of Sophocles are remarkably memorable and seven have managed to survive the test of time. These include: Ajax, Antigone, The Women of Trachis, Oedipus the King, Electra, Philoctetes, and Oedipus at Colonus. Antigone is one of the earliest works in the theatre to feature themes of female empowerment. Although the last two hundred years have been the main setting for the feminist movement, I believe that Antigone’s titular character is a strong woman that embodies our presentism views of feminism.